How it is calculated
Total distance = Σ distance between consecutive GPS positions
The pod records position ten times a second. The app measures the distance between each pair of consecutive positions with the haversine formula and adds them up.
Positions are filtered before they are measured: impossible values are removed, short gaps are filled, and positions are smoothed to reduce GPS jitter.
When a position is invalid, the app estimates that step from speed multiplied by time.
How to read it
Total distance is the simplest measure of volume. Compare it session to session for the same player, and use distance per minute to compare sessions of different lengths.
Keep in mind
GPS jitter can add distance. Filtering reduces it but may not remove it, so totals can read a few percent higher than systems that measure distance from speed alone.
Where you see it in the app
Questions
Why does total distance differ between GPS systems?
Systems sample at different rates, filter positions differently and calculate distance differently. Compare totals within one system rather than across them.